For more information, contact Sally Oxenhandler, (573) 751-7456 or Community Relations at (573) 751-2840.

October 19, 2009 12:00 AM

MoDOT Selling Property in Statewide Blitz

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Department of Transportation is trying a new tactic to sell property it no longer needs.

The agency is calling the effort a blitz - an all-out attempt to sell multiple properties across the state in a short period of time. Under its Realty to Roads program, MoDOT has identified about 23 highly marketable properties to sell either at auction or by sealed bid from Nov. 16-20. The department began advertising the parcels for sale today, and details can be found online at www.modot.org/realtyforsale.

"Our goal is to sell a fairly large number of properties in a concentrated amount of time," said Gregory Wood, Realty to Roads Project Director in MoDOT's Right of Way Division. "We want to draw attention to the fact we have property for sale and get land we're no longer using in the hands of owners who can put it to good use. Of benefit to everyone is the fact that the money from the sales goes to fund needed road and bridge projects."

MoDOT's district offices will handle the property sales for the land in their respective regions. Wood said the parcels could be developed independently or assembled with adjoining properties.

"Some people buy our properties to add to adjoining land they already own or they may purchase a property for new development," Wood said. "We've also seen some unique uses, such as dog parks."

Wood said the blitz complements other activities MoDOT has implemented to aggressively sell excess property. As part of the Realty to Roads initiative, MoDOT has contracted with two private firms for real estate marketing and consulting services. MoDOT has also begun using virtual tours to sell real estate. If a virtual tour is available on property you are interested in, it can be found at www.modot.org/realtyforsale.

In addition to the land being sold during the Realty to Roads blitz, other MoDOT property for sale can be found on the department's Web site. Interested individuals can contact Wood at (573) 751-7716 or Gregory.Wood@modot.mo.gov for more information.